Chapter 19
Miranda moved further away as she spoke on the phone with Christian.
Winona, who was in the room, clamped a hand over her mouth, stifling the tears that threatened to break through. She knew how much her parents loved her. Even though they had remained silent in the store, she knew that they would exact retribution on her behalf later.
In the following days, everyone tacitly agreed not to bring up the subject again. Winona and her parents only returned to Havenport by plane once they had completely enjoyed their stay in Shadowbrook.
The very next day after Winona’s return marked her 26th birthday. Having been pampered by the Chapmans since childhood, her birthdays had always been a grand affair, complete with fireworks across the city. This time, the Chapman family held Winona’s birthday celebration with exceptional grandeur.
The day of the celebration saw dignitaries and well–known individuals from all corners of society, each arriving to convey their good wishes to Winona. The luxury cars that pulled up outside the Chapman residence extended for a vast stretch, reaching far into the distance.
In the midst of laughter and chatter, the guests steadily made their way toward the grand hall. A well–drilled line of attendants stood at the entrance in anticipation. As each guest arrived, an attendant swiftly stepped forward to usher them to their designated seat.
In the meantime, in her room on the upper floor, Winona, having donned her evening gown, was being attentively styled by a team of makeup artists. A collection of valuable jewelry boxes sat open on the vanity, their contents sparkling with countless precious gems. Yet, all of them paled in comparison to the sheer brilliance of Winona’s eyes.
Her graceful fingers lingered over the array of open jewelry boxes for a while before finally settling on a necklace intricately adorned with vibrant ruby gemstones. She passed it to one of the makeup artists, saying, “I’ll wear this one.”
Just then, a knock sounded on the door, and Miranda’s voice, laced with a hint of worry, came through. “Are you all set, Winnie? Your party is about to
start.”
Winona got to her feet when she heard that. Holding the hem of her gown, she replied, “I’ll be there in a moment.”
Meanwhile, the alert bodyguards paced outside the Chapman residence gates, making sure no one caused trouble. More importantly, they were to stop Joseph from sneaking in to bother Winona.
In that same familiar alley, Joseph sat in the back seat of the car, his complexion ashen as he watched the vibrant scene at the Chapman residence from
afar.
It was Winona’s birthday that day. In the past, she had always eagerly awaited this day, and he, to honor her as his wife, consistently went to great lengths to arrange elaborate birthday parties for her. Yet, following his repeated entanglements with Queenie, Winona never spoke of her birthday in front of him again, so much so that she didn’t even bother to unwrap the gifts he had given her.
He couldn’t help but smile wryly as the thought crossed his mind. He wondered if they could have avoided their current predicament if he had only noticed her odd behavior sooner or recognized Queenie’s true nature earlier. He thought that, perhaps, he would still be at her side that day, celebrating her birthday like he used to, if he had.
He then lowered his gaze, his hand instinctively touching his birthday gift for Winona. It contained a diamond necklace named “True Love’s Heart“, worth an astonishing 300 million dollars. It wasn’t something that he had purchased or had made to order. Instead, he had meticulously crafted it
himself.
Joseph had, in fact, taught himself the intricacies of jewelry making before formally assuming control of Lowe Group. He had even personally crafted a few pieces, with two of them fetching exceptionally high bids at auction.
Upon discovering this, Winona, who was still married to him at the time, charmingly cajoled him into designing and making a necklace as her birthday present. It was a simple request, didn’t take much time, and more importantly, was the first thing Winona had ever asked of him, so he readily agreed to it.
However, the necklace eventually landed in Queenie’s possession instead.
